Several individuals detained in Malaysia’s GISBH sect raid by police
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Police officers were seen outside a shop believed to be linked to Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings.
PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
GOMBAK, Selangor – More than 10 people, including women and children, were detained following police raids at several businesses linked to Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISBH) in a quiet suburb in Malaysia’s Selangor state on Sept 21.
Once the operation ended at a commercial centre in Bandar Country Homes in Gombak district’s Rawang town, the individuals, who were said to be between six and 60 years old, were taken to the Selangor police headquarters in six vans and three cars for documentation.
The operation, which started at 6.30am, involved 250 officers from the Selangor police, the Federal Reserve Unit, the Selangor Islamic Religious Department and the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS).
Several shops, including a printing shop, a clinic, a hotel, a bakery, a workshop, a media centre and a restaurant believed to be linked to GISBH, were inspected.
The MPS also demolished several illegal structures and issued immediate closure notices to 16 premises.
Of the 16 premises, 12 were found to be operating without valid licences, while the remaining four had breached licensing conditions.
The police and officers from the Welfare Department also inspected five double-storey houses believed to be where GISBH members were residing, at the nearby Bandar Tasik Puteri area in Rawang.
However, the houses, located in a gated and guarded residential area, were abandoned. It is believed that the occupants left the houses before the arrival of the authorities on Sept 21.
At one of the houses, believed to be a care home housing at least 20 children, there were bags of clothing and children’s bicycles parked at the porch.
The same house also had more than 10 quails in a coop and a renovated back area serving as a bathing area.
A neighbour, who refused to be named, said he often saw children who lived in one of the houses playing in a nearby playground.
“They often gathered at the playground or the compound of the house. However, they have not been seen since Thursday (Sept 19),” he said.
The operations come as the Selangor ruler, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, expressed disappointment and regret over the lack of effective action taken against GISBH.
In Johor, the state’s Islamic Religious Council and the police have started an investigation into the activities and operations of GISBH in the southern Malaysian state.
The state government is urging people, including members of GISBH, to come forward with any relevant information that could aid the ongoing investigations, said Johor Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid.
“We urge those who have pertinent information regarding GISB’s activities to lodge a formal complaint or provide a testimony,” he said on Sept 21.
On Sept 19, 19 people, including GISBH’s chief executive, his wife and other family members, were detained by the police following raids on four residential units in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.
The 12 men and seven women were remanded until Sept 25.
On Sept 18, police recorded the statements of 740 people as part of the investigation into GISBH.
A total of 10 investigation papers have been opened, and police have frozen 96 bank accounts involving GISBH, with RM581,552 (S$178,400) in funds.
On Sept 11, police rescued 402 children – 201 boys and 201 girls, aged one to 17 – from 20 care homes in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan in a rescue operation code-named Ops Global.
There were allegations that the children were abused, exploited and sexually assaulted
A total of 171 suspects, aged between 17 and 64
